Adds details on US beef exports to China from paragraph 2

By Daphne Zhang, Lewis Jackson and Ella Cao

BEIJING, May 14 (Reuters) - China has renewed export licences for hundreds of U.S. beef processing plants, customs data showed, including plants owned by Tyson Foods TSN.N and Cargill CARG.UL, as the two countries' leaders met in Beijing on Thursday.

More than 400 U.S. beef plants lost export eligibility over the past year as permissions that Beijing granted between March 2020 and April 2021 lapsed, according to Chinese customs data, accounting for roughly 65% of the once-registered facilities.

Beef exports to China collapsed last year after the registrations for most U.S. beef plants in China expired on March 16.

Over the year, volume dropped 48% from 2024 and export value plunged 69%, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation's USDA-based report. U.S. beef exports to China peaked at $1.7 billion in 2022.